EFFECTS OF STORED RED BLOOD CELLS ON GAS TRANSPORT: EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDY

Abstract

The objective of this dissertation is to unravel the effects of stored red blood cells (RBCs) on gas transport. A microfluidic platform to measure the oxygen (O2) release rate of RBCs at the single-cell level was developed to investigate the quality of stored RBCs. It was found that in vitro aging of RBCs led to an increase in the O2 release rate. A simulation model capable of predicting the arteriole O2 and nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability in response to storage-induced RBCs hemolysis was also developed. The obtained results suggested that although the transfusion of stored RBCs results in suboptimal NO concentrations, it may still be sufficient to facilitate smooth muscle dilation. Lastly, to ensure the timely administration of RBCs, a carbon nanoparticles-embedded paper-based analytical device was developed to assess anemic severity by measuring the hemoglobin concentration, which demonstrated a high degree of agreement with the standard laboratory measurement technique.